Valentine’s Day: Why fresh flower delivery is a science

1-800-Flowers CEO Chris McCann discusses the big business of Valentine’s Day spending.

Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romance and love around the world and also a big day for business.

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According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to drop $20.7 billion on their sweethearts for Valentine’s Day. And for 1-800-Flowers, it’s one of the busiest holidays of the year.

“On Valentine’s Day we will deliver about 17 million stems of flowers -- 60 percent or about 10 million of those stems will be roses,” said 1-800-Flowers CEO Chris McCann during an interview on FOXBusiness’ “Mornings with Maria” on Wednesday. “It comes down to tradition… nothing says love like roses.”

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It’s also a big sales day for floral retailers. According to McCann, the company works with a network of about 6,000 florists around the country to ensure fresh arrangements are delivered to each customer.

“We have to give them projections down to the zip code,” he said, “so they can be prepared for massive deliveries on the 13th and 14th.”

While McCann sells mostly flowers, business has expanded into gourmet foods. Because of this, Christmas is the busiest season.